Just as a note...do not buy this game.  They will be offereing Free Monthly subs very soon to try it out.  The way they instance their servers, you can tell how many people are playing.  They couldn't  even retain 1/2 the players from the first month.  I'm not trolling.  The game really is dying.  Just don't want you to waste your money.  Oh, don't buy Aion either.  Save the $100.  I wish I had.

I assumed he meant you would use a sword but the stat modifiers would be that of the gun you had....but that's just me.

BTW, there was an anime that the guy had a sword that fired metal slivers when he swung it.  So its not completely crazy to think thats how it can work.

I never really had any faith that cryptic could do a Star Trek MMO.  Star Trek is all about exploration, story and characters.  It has little to do with action.  Some of the best stories in star trek have no action.  Cryptic's weak point is telling a story.  So to think that they would suddenly develop the skills to weave a tale strong enough to carry Star Trek is ludicrous.  CO and COX were weak on content so we know exploration is out.  And characters...well...who is Statesman again?  This will be the second MMO Bioware has to remake.  

 Overall, cryptic is a C-/B+ studio.  They put out passable games that fille a niche.  I don't think they are up to the task of bringing Star Trek to life.  Go check out the forums and you will see Trekies arguing Cryptic breaking cannon and the game isn't even in beta yet.  Star Trek is a game you have to handle with kid gloves because that audience is nuts.

Originally posted by Malakhon

In regards to Invuln/Regen

You only get one passive slot though? How do you slot them both?

 

I thought I had a great build, so I went into pvp at 10th level = got owned. Could do no damage.

I re-thought, came back as a focused swordsman, at 10th level = got owned.

Ask some questions and found out what they had slotted was a force power,  that puts up an 800 hp shield at low levels you do so little damage that it seems you can barely penetrate this thing.  

So I came back for my third character as a lightning focused blaster with rocket boots and that shield. So far I can say it has made PVE good. I am about to get about 10th again and try the Heroes BG. Granted I know it auto-levels me to 20th and those others have extra powers and ranks I do not. However, I shouldn't see a difference. 

 

 

Unless they changed it, Invuln didn't take up a passive slot...so they would both work. If they did change it, it makes the power pointless to pick in that set.  It works well PvP and PvE.  During the final event...Took down 3 destroids and only died once in a AOE attack.  Those little destroids missled attacks killed me multiple times.  During PvP, I think I died only once.  I did Energy/Force. 

Originally posted by kal08   

Smooth release so far.

Friday night I counted 20.000 online people....

The last 2 big MMO's had huge releases...and you see how they struggle now.  Its not really that important what numbers they pull in September.  Its November numbers that will be important.  I am not a fan of what the devs gave us.  I will freely say initially the game impresses.  But it has a short lifespan.  The game is not released and there are level 30's running around.  The last minute XP and retcon tweaks ruined some of the game flow.  But since its technically pre-release, so you can't hate them too much for it.

Well, one of the complaints about the game is any set can really solo 1 - 40.  So you can choose anything.

To be uber though, pick Invulnerability with Regen.  To upgrade to l33t, pick up pyre for AOE.  Then pretty much throw anything else in...it doesn't matter about the other stuff.  Pick whatever DPS you want.   I'm not sure if you can combine heal-bots with those first two but if you can, you will piss off every PVPer  EVER!!!  Devs might even ban you for that combo.

Originally posted by Groucho

This is a public relations nightmare for Cryptic...they've had take down their forums due to all the upset players.

The folks over at NCSoft must be thrilled about this. They are going to get a lot of new subscribers now that Cryptic has shown its true colors when it comes to customer service.

I'm sorry.  This is unfair.  Forums went down so they can make changes for release.  Has happened to a couple MMO's pre-release. 

IF the number of subs was high, this is good news for players.  It means this game might outlive AOC.  If the number of subs was small then this is just a spin for the online magazines to generate some pub then shame on cryptic.  I don't like the game being released but I'm hoping they succeed cause I'd really like to buy this game.  Just don't want another financial loss like AOC/WAR.  Unlike the US gov't, I can control my spending.

Originally posted by elbowelbow

That's the thing.  If you preorder/buy at release, you're gambling that the devs will fix the bugs, balance, and performance problems quickly.  The question is, with STO beta coming up, will they shift resources off of CO after launch?  Star Trek is arguably a bigger money-making IP.  Does it make sense to use CO mainly as income for STO?  When STO is out, does it get more resources?  If this happens, it's unfortunate to CO players because their fixes will happen more slowly.

This also makes more sense with lifetime and 6-month subs at launch because those people aren't leaving, even if bugs suddenly take forever to fix after launch.  And performance optimizations needed to fix the low fps on high-end graphics cards is probably one of the more complicated problems.  Who knows when that will be fixed?

One of the devs already said that as soon as this game is released, he needs to hop over to STO to do some work.  I really do think that STO got more love than CO.  But that makes sense b/c its an outside IP that has a lot of eyes on it. 

The game world is small.  The zones are large but there are not many of them.  Even though the zones are large, they feel like the devs are trying to shove a whale into a tuna can.  The lack of zones was  voiced early in beta.  I don't recall any type of answer.  I knew then that I probably wasn't going to buy this game at release.  I didn't really care for Monster Island or Lemuria....so the game stops at level 30 for me :)  On the positive side, I do believe that they have other zones completed that they haven't mentioned yet.  So I wouldn't be shocked if 3 or 4 more zones are released in 2 months.

Taking a step back and looking at CO, I have to give the game a "C" grade.  It does some things nice, but its so shallow on content a good many may stop playing after a month.  If you play 10-12 hours a week, you'd hit the cap in a month.  This is assuming you don't bother crafting, and you stuck to one char.  I don't say this to trash the game, but people who loved it and hated it both agree the game has little content.

Just a little on my opinion:

Graphics:  Average.  There are moments of horror and moments of awe.  There are a few graphic glitches here and there.  But graphics have little to do with a game fun so I don't put much stock in them. (See AOC vs WOW or AC)

Power Balance:  They aren't.  But I didn't expect them to be.  Since you can mix and match powers, you can come up with killer combos.  You can make almost any char you want.  If this is important to you, then the game is a good buy.  They will be adding more powers so it can only get better.  The only problem is they keep changing powers drasticly and I have a feeling this will continue after beta.  I wish they had done more focus testing on combat after they put in stats.

Solo Content:  You can solo anything with the right power combo.  There are a few mobs that are meant for groups, but most of the game you can zip right through on your own.  Quests can be boring and unimaginative.  They did bring back camping mobs and spawns.  Watch out for the person who waits for you to attack the mob and steal your quest update right from under you.

Group Content: Very little.  A few dungeons, a few bosses.  Their idea of group content is to flood an area with so many tough mobs that you'll die walking 10 feet.  Someone said to pick support powers for more group content.  I read this as cripple your character to force you to group.  You have enough power slots to make a solo/group guy so that's no biggie either way.  This will change as devs learn to design levels to fit the audience.  Reference COX zone rebuilds.

Gameplay:  They really made combat feel much better at the end of beta.  You have to spam end builder a little less and they went with a glass half full approach to the end bar. 

Crafting:  Was so stupid I gave up on it in early beta.  I heard its better but I'll put off trying it till they force me to.  

PvP:  This is actually fun.  It has little impact on the game but can offer a big distraction from the shallow content.  The powers keep chaning for balance sake so be prepared for your dangerous combo to be slapped with a 60 second timer.

High Level content:  None really.   Do not be in a big hurry to get there.  It boils down to radio missions from COX with a store attached.  The 1st update should take care of this.

CO is really a decent game.  Its not great...just a nice distraction.  The problem is, it has so many little negative points that it will probably fail to keep a decent size audience.  I can't see myself suggesting someone play this MMO as a solid buy.   I'd suggest you give it a good look...maybe wait for you tube videos to pop up so you can take a peek before you throw down the money.

If anyone has a spare buddy key or referral, I'd appreciate you sending me one. I would like to try this game out before I buy it. Lest my wife kill me if I don't play. THanks
 

Just posting some links to comic-con.  IGN has some videos.  The engine is pre-alpha.  Which means it will change a lot.  At least I hope so.  But you can see the game has a lot going for it.  You'll be able to see a speedster and some combat.  Enjoy and let the flames begin.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/893/893273p2.html

I still say its LA's fault also.  I still think LA did some pushing to go NGE.  I had left the game years before because I felth the game was badly designed from the start.  The fact that we don't know who to blame also shows me that there was chaos behind the scenes.  Who had the final decision on what?  I'm really not looking forward to KOTOR.  LA ruined my taste for SW IP with the last 3 movies.  I really don't think this game will do well but doubt I'll be around to find out.  For those ofyou who are waiting, hope the game is better than the movies....

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Since SOE is on this console/PC kick, I think we can expect nothing, but mediocre games from them.   All you have to do is look at how dumbed down the AoC UI is to see the problem. 

Soon as I see the console and PC moniker, it just indicates to me to avoid like the plague, because it just won't be that good.

Its not just SOE.  Other MMO's are flirting with dual systems....Its a knee jerk reaction from not being able to compete with WOW on the PC.  They're trying to feed off the console market.  This is probably needed for this genre because  more comic book readers own high end consoles vs high end computers.   See how COH struggled.

BTW, on gamespot there is an interview with video playing in the background...the action sequences look nice there.  Hopefully this video makes it to the net.

You're having an operating system problem.  Best solution is detroy vista...but since that's not really an option do these....

1) Make sure you have service pack 1.

2) Make sure all your motherboard and Video card drivers are up to date.  My game wouldn't run until I got the latest motherboard drivers.  THat's unique to me though

3) Reload Direct X.  Make sure for some odd reason you don't have direct X 10 chosen in you AOC settings.  I think its locked but you never know

4) Turn off that admin setting in Vista and see if it works

Get on AOC forums and do a search.

Originally posted by Zorndorf

 

Originally posted by Xasapis

And yet again, AoC does have an auction house. It'll best serve you to not show how clearly uninformed you are on multiple threads as well.

No it hasn't.

 

You can't bid on goods being offered.

and to rub it all in: here is some first reviews of your favorite game !!! (posted by a professional):

" ... An equally bad issue has been a few unscrupulous guilds who have apparently discovered some type of exploit that lets them gain money and experience far more quickly than intended -- so much so that players have reported seeing level 50 and 60 characters (out of 80) running around after only three days of play. Given the inevitable influx of gold farmers into the game, this is an invitation to economic disaster.

Certain aspects of the game also suffer from a distinct lack of polish. The UI, for example, is a clunky collection of buttons and controls that hide rather than highlight important information. A tiny triangle on the radar, for instance, allows players to switch instances in common areas. This is important because in order to keep the game smooth and populations in common areas fairly low, the game is heavily instanced. That means that getting groups together takes an extra five minutes just to get everyone in the same instance.

The game's chat system is also atrocious. It uses poor color choices and tiny fonts for text that can't be changed from within the game. It's also annoyingly difficult to properly tab conversation channels or subscribe to the right ones. Guild controls are weirdly split between the "Friends" and "Guild Management" buttons.

So far so good I would say....

..."

Because english is not my native language, I tought it sums up what I always was thinking.

2) Clunky UI that hide features....Read our manual

3) Nothing wrong with the layout and I find my chat box to be fine.  You'll be able to mod your UI once they release tools.  I'm not sure if you can change text now...I looked briefly but I was in the middle of playing and didn't want to pause.  I will look tonight though.

I think comparing AOC to any established MMO is kinda silly.  Of course WOW and EQ2 are better games.  They've been out for years.  They each have at least one full expansion.  They're no where near the same game they were at the release.  At release, I found both games to be boring.  I played beta for both and never made it past a month.  I got them both when they came out, again after a month my interest died.  I did try them both last year and played them quite a bit because they adapted their games to make them more appealing.  So if a person doesn't think that AOC offers anything new, they have a valid opinion.  AOC lacks a lot of quality of life features and content that other MMO's have been able to install over their lifetimes.

That said, I think AOC has a lot of potential.  It seems to have potential to be a better game than WOW or EQ2 does down the road.  I had zero interest in this game all through development.  My interest was only grabbed the week before open beta and I've been hooked since.  MMO growth, however, depends more on post development that what happens at release.  It can go up or down from here.  My big concern is the developers seem like a bunch of monkeys who like to program with a sledge hammer.  They make odd decisions and odd policy moves.  Completely locking the forums is the worst decision ever.  That's like free advertising.  I have the game and even I can't gain access to the forums anymore.  My friend is a forum mod, and he doesn't even know what's up with my account. Now I'm subject to CS.  Apparently I'm not alone in this...They just seem to make bad decisions not realizing that americans(which currently  is their major consumer) see their moves as clownish.  Well, I hope all works out for the best...Or at least the game lasts till Champions-Online comes out. 

Oddly enough this same company had registration issues when they released AO....has me scared.  but it's confusing because the site is not intuitive...maybe a cultural thing.  I had to click "Use a key to add..." link then I had to click "Create New Subscription"

I assume that was a single player demo cause I saw no people. LOL